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Have you ever gotten into the mind of a designer and learned about their creative process? Although I am not a formally educated interior designer, I believe we are all designers in our own right. To quote myself, “Style is about reflecting your personality in a way in which your home – your environment rises up to greet you.” Recently, I was invited to provide my opinion as a guest for Terry’s blinds. What a privilege to be offered to share my perspective with!

As I was preparing the content for the post, I reviewed some of the other guests posts that were listed on the site. It was fabulous to read others processes and ideas for what makes them the creatives, the designers they are today. One of my favorite questions to read, was “What inspires you”. With their individual responses, one can determine if the designer is very tactical, visual, or a combination of both. It got me to thinking. If you were to hire one of these designer, what type would work the best with you? Who would you more closely relate? These questions would actually provide a great foundation for selecting a potential designer. As a comparison, it is like the Myer’s Brigg test for designers!

With that said, here are the questions that you could offer up a potential designer for hire to answer:

In your own words, describe your unique style and creative aesthetic.

When starting a new project, what is your creative process?

Out of the creative people you have worked with, who is it that you respect and admire the most?

When looking for inspiration is there a particular thing you do to get inspired?

What has brought you to this point in your career?

Click on the link above to get my response. I hope you enjoy reading my viewpoint! Make sure to check out my top choices for this spring!

Most employers allow a certain amount of workstation “flair” that employees can decorate their offices with. While some may choose to adorn every square inch of their walls with pictures of friends, family, and pets – this constant reminder what you’re missing can become rather distracting. Creating an optimal, yet inspiring workplace requires the right balance of visual pop with as little clutter as possible.

With slight exception to tech companies and ad agencies you can fully expect the average workstation to be gray, beige, or the international color of boring…taupe. There is no better way to counter the void than with a brightly colored accent piece. The contrast between the clinically inspired desk and wall colors adds a much needed burst of visual stimulation. Be sure not to overextend the accent color – a greater impact will be achieved if this is a pop of color rather than a workplace theme.

Lamps are a great addition to any work space and can be used as your primary accent piece. Even in well-lit offices the addition of a desk lamp can provide a serene area perfect for reading lengthy documents. Combined with a daylight bulb, the glow of lamp can provide a warm and inviting atmosphere in your workplace. The clean and pop-art inspired lines of the “Profile” Table Lamp by Kenroy Home present a whimsical pop of color and visual stimulation consistent with a contemporary workspace layout. Additionally, a large complaint about workplace lighting comes from the use of overhead fluorescent tube lighting. Convincing your employer to remove or dim bulbs over your workstation in favor of a smaller desk lamp can literally save you from a lot of headaches.

Photo provided by Kenroy Home

In most cases all of your “go-to” items can be confined to a decorative tray – this keeps important papers and supplies in a well organized manner. While all these items can be neatly stacked on your desk, the decorative tray provides an added level of comfort and style to your work space. Smaller inset trays and jars can be applied as well to keep items such as paper clips, push-pins, and writing instruments nicely arranged.

Flowers and other plants can provide a soothing atmosphere to counterbalance an influx of calls or demanding emails. In celebration of the 2014 Pantone color of the year – a well placed orchid can provide an elegant touch to your now streamlined desk. Just like the other accents in this modern design theme – smaller is better.

Instead of a wall of photos, use your computer’s desktop background to prominently display pictures of loved ones. Most operating systems come pre-stocked with a photo-slide screensaver – this gives you a visual reminder friends and family while you’re at work, without the desk clutter. Remember to keep it simple when creating a modernly inspired workstation you should strive for the perfect balance of form and function, with a minimalist design philosophy.

The home office was once a “nice-to-have” feature – today, it’s almost a requirement. As work schedules have evolved to include flextime and work-from-home benefits, it’s necessary to have a place where you can close the door, focus and get the job done. But having the space isn’t the only key – a functional office set-up is equally essential. One of the key elements of that is a office chair.

Zuo Modern Contemporary Unico White Office Chair

Here are some important considerations that any home office worker should make when picking out this all-important décor element.

What’s your floor like? You’ll need to base your shopping search on whether you have wall-to-wall carpeting, hardwood or a rug that lies under your desk. Wheeled chairs are best for hard surfaces, rugs with short, very tight pile, or flat-woven carpets like kilims or sisal mats. Wheels and plush, long carpet are a headache waiting to happen; if that’s what you have, choose a stationary chair.

Assess your need for ergonomics. If you find yourself getting sore and stiff after the workday, you should consider a chair that provides ergonomic support. Ergonomic office chairs are also a nice option for families that share the office among multiple people – they can be more easily adjusted to different heights.

Create an attractive place to work. Carefully designed spaces can provide more harmonious visuals, with less clutter and fewer distractions. That translates to a more productive work environment. Think of your home office design as equally important to your living spaces. That thoughtfulness can pay off, too, if you ever decide to sell your home – prospective homebuyers will be wowed.

Justice Design Group, creative producers and purveyors of handmade lighting fixtures, is truly a family affair. Owned and operated by the father-and-son team of Bruce and Brandon Levin, the Los Angeles-based manufacturer has been the largest ceramic lighting manufacturer in the U.S. for over 25 years. Their simple formula – Form + Finish + Function – yields unique and versatile results. From residential to hospitality, traditional to sleek contemporary, Justice Design offers a vast range of lighting solutions to fit all applications and aesthetics. Create a mood, complement a theme or simply add the perfect lighting accent.

With over 200 different shapes and 30 hand-painted finishes, Justice offers residential consumer and design community a vast array of options. They even offer an unfinished and paintable “ceramic bisque” option in case you’re more the do-it-yourself type. The Justice Design unique finishes are what really set them apart from the crowd. Painted entirely by hand, some of these stunning finishes require as many as seven coats. Options include glass-like glazes, smooth faux marble and stone, and textured finishes that turn each fixture into a work of art. Each piece is meticulously sculpted and then can be hand-painted and hand-textured to resemble marble, metal patinas, slate, travertine or hammered copper or pewter, among many others.

Justice Design’s ceramic pieces are crafted, finished, packaged and shipped right from their facility in Los Angeles, California. Using a process called slip casting, they pour the liquid ceramic (a.k.a, “slip”) into molds and then fire them in a proprietary kiln designed just for them. The machine is remarkable – they load the pieces onto shelves and then the kiln itself runs along a track to cover the shelf and dry the pieces, reducing potential breakage and allowing multiple shelves to be set up for the process. Once the pieces have been fired, they move to the finishing department where each one is meticulously finished by skilled artisans. The results are timeless contemporary pieces that will last a lifetime.